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NIO ONVO L80 Opens Pre-Sales and Immediately Pressures the Tesla Model Y in China

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NIO ONVO L80 SUV EV
NIO’s ONVO brand started taking preorders for the L80, a brand new five-seat electric SUV based on the same architecture as the larger L90. Official sales start on May 15th. Early buyers can expect to pay 245,800 yuan ($35,949) for the base model, which includes the battery pack as standard, or 159,800 yuan ($23,371) for the battery-as-a-service plan. That makes the L80 not only a fascinating alternative, but also a relatively reasonable one, as it is currently priced 17,700 yuan ($2,588) lower than a Tesla Model Y in China.



The size of the L80 is what immediately sets it apart. With dimensions of 5,145 millimeters long, 1,998 millimeters wide, and 1,786 millimeters high, as well as a wheelbase of 3,110 millimeters, this vehicle will feel more spacious inside than a Tesla Model Y while remaining compact and practical enough to manage city streets and interstate driving. NIO’s engineers built the L80 with a steel-aluminum hybrid body, and they were able to manufacture 84 percent of the car out of high-strength materials, including 27.4 kg of ultra-high-strength steel rated at 2,000 megapascals, which is pretty serious stuff. The torsional rigidity is 38,150 newton-meters per degree, and the curb weight is around 2,250 kg.

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The L80’s power options are straightforward, with the rear-wheel drive variant powered by a single 340 kilowatt motor that manages to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. The all-wheel drive model adds an extra 100 kilowatt motor up front for a total of 440 kilowatts, reducing the sprint time to an impressive 4.7 seconds. Both versions use a 900-volt electrical architecture, which should improve energy delivery and minimize usage. The rear-drive model’s real-world efficiency is said to be as low as 14.3 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometers.

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The L80’s range comes from a next-generation ternary lithium battery pack. Official figures put the maximum range on the CLTC cycle at up to 615 kilometers, which should be more than enough for most daily commutes and even a few weekend trips without too many stops in between, and the best part is that owners will have access to NIO’s dedicated battery-swap network throughout China. You can replace that battery in just three minutes at a dedicated station, which beats queuing at a public charger any day of the week.

NIO ONVO L80 SUV EV
NIO ONVO L80 SUV EV
NIO ONVO L80 SUV EV
The L80 is designed with family comfort in mind, as well as functional storage. The second row seats can recline to 135 degrees and have heating, ventilation, and massaging capabilities, just like the front seats. A tri-zone climate system with hidden vents and really high-grade C95 air filtration keeps the cabin quiet and clean. Then there are the storage compartments, which number 53 and are spread throughout the vehicle. When the back seats are folded down, you have an astonishing 2,840 litres of cargo capacity. That appears to be the best in class for any five-seat SUV available in China right now, and to make things a little more comfortable, an 8.8-liter powered cooler sits between the front seats, allowing you to keep your drinks and food chilled on extended road journeys.

NIO ONVO L80 SUV EV Interior
A 17.2-inch 3K screen in the center of the cockpit handles everything from navigation and media to vehicle functions, so technology never seems overwhelming. The audio system is insane, with 23 speakers delivering a staggering 2,048 watts, 7.1.4 surround sound and Dolby Atmos support, and adaptive headrest speakers that route music right to your seat, all powered by NIO’s Full Domain Operating System, SkyOS. Buyers can choose between two assisted driving setups: one that uses NIO’s own Shenji NX9031 chip paired with all sensors and LiDAR plus the latest World Model software for super smooth highway and parking, or a pure vision system built around NVIDIA’s Orin X chip for those looking to save some money. Both options provide 60 driver aid features, including end-to-end emergency braking from one end of the vehicle to the other.
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March quarter lifts Apple revenue to $111B with $100B buyback

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Apple reported $111.2 billion in revenue for its fiscal second quarter on April 30, delivering growth, record March-quarter results, and a new $100 billion share buyback.

“Today Apple is proud to report our best March quarter ever, with revenue of $111.2 billion and double-digit growth across every geographic segment,” CEO Tim Cook said. “iPhone achieved a March quarter revenue record, fueled by such extraordinary demand for the iPhone 17 lineup.”

Results for the quarter ended March 28, 2026, beat expectations, with earnings per share of $2.01, up 22% year over year. The company posted growth across every geographic segment, with iPhone revenue setting a March-quarter record on demand for the iPhone 17 lineup, while Services reached a new all-time high.

“During the quarter, Services achieved yet another all-time record,” Cook said. “We were excited to introduce remarkable new products to our strongest lineup ever.”

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Apple also generated more than $28 billion in operating cash flow during the quarter. Earnings grew faster than revenue, showing Apple’s cost structure held as the business expanded.

“The demand was off the charts,” Cook told Reuters. “And there’s just a little less flexibility in the supply chain at the moment for getting more parts.”

The iPhone result confirms the latest lineup is driving demand in Apple’s largest business. Apple’s board authorized an additional $100 billion share repurchase program and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.27 per share, a 4% increase.

The dividend will be paid on May 14 to shareholders of record as of May 11. Shareholders must own the stock before the record date to be eligible for the payment.

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Apple kept its capital return structure unchanged, continuing to prioritize buybacks and dividends over shifting spending to new initiatives.

Services and installed base continue to grow

Services hit another all-time high during the quarter, showing Apple is continuing to expand revenue beyond hardware sales. Apple also reported a record installed base, giving the company more users it can reach with services, upgrades, and accessories.

“We are investing a lot,” Cook said. “We see it as a huge opportunity, both for consumer and for business. We’re all in, and personalized Siri is on schedule for this year.”

The quarter didn’t include any clear increase in AI-related spending or a shift in priorities. Questions remain about how aggressively the company plans to compete in that area.

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For now, Apple is still growing at a pace that supports its current strategy, even as attention shifts to what comes next. The results show the company hasn’t needed to change course to keep delivering growth.

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1X starts shipping NEO humanoid robots to US homes

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The Norway-founded company’s vertically integrated NEO factory in Hayward marks the first US-scale push to put a general-purpose humanoid robot into private homes, with shipments planned this year and a competitive field that is already crowded


1X Technologies has opened a 58,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Hayward, California, to produce its NEO humanoid robot at consumer scale, with capacity for 10,000 units in year one and a target of more than 100,000 units annually by the end of 2027.

The Norway-founded, OpenAI-backed company described the plant as the first vertically integrated humanoid robot factory in the United States. First customer shipments are planned for 2026.

The factory currently employs more than 200 staff and is scaling. NEO is being manufactured with critical components built in-house, motors, batteries, structures, transmission systems, soft goods, and sensors, in a configuration the company describes as bottom-up American manufacturing.

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“This is more than just a factory opening, it’s proof that the future of humanoid robotics is being built right here in the U.S.,” 1X CEO and founder Bernt Børnich said in the announcement.

The Hayward facility is intended as a stepping stone to a larger plant under construction in San Carlos, California.

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The product

NEO is positioned as a general-purpose home robot, designed to operate alongside humans in domestic environments rather than as an industrial bipedal for warehouses or factory floors.

The robot is available in three colours (Tan, Gray, and Dark Brown) and offered through two commercial models: an Early Access purchase at $20,000 with priority delivery in 2026, or a subscription at $499 per month.

NEO is powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Thor onboard computing platform and trained using Nvidia’s Isaac open robotics simulation framework.

Demand has reportedly outstripped initial expectations. The company says first-year production capacity sold out within five days of preorders opening in October 2025. 

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1X raised $100 million in its push to bring NEO to market; the robot is designed with explicit safety constraints: it is light, soft to the touch, and configured without pinch-points or other hazards, a deliberate choice given the company’s ambition to deploy in private homes rather than industrial settings, where heavier and harder humanoids dominate.

NEO learns household tasks through embodied AI, the technique under which robots acquire skills by interacting with their environment. Customers can also manually demonstrate tasks using a VR headset and controllers, and the robot includes conversational functionality that Børnich has compared to ChatGPT.

Whether those capabilities translate to reliable performance across the variety of unstructured tasks a real home presents, the open question for every consumer humanoid, is something the customer shipments later this year will start to answer.

Two routes to market

Beyond the consumer product, 1X has structured its commercial strategy around a parallel enterprise track. In December 2025, the company struck a partnership with private equity firm EQT to deploy up to 10,000 NEOs to companies in EQT’s portfolio between 2026 and 2030 across facility operations, manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.

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The two-track structure gives 1X higher-margin enterprise revenue from its early units, plants and warehouses pay full price for performance, while the home model can scale down in cost over time. It is the same playbook electric vehicles followed, with luxury and commercial customers subsidising the consumer rollout.

The 10,000-unit annual production target is a meaningful number in a field where most humanoid robot makers are still measured in the hundreds. Tesla, however, is the comparison that matters most. Tesla’s China president Wang Hao described the Shanghai Gigafactory as a “golden key” to mass-producing the company’s Optimus humanoid robot. Tesla has discussed manufacturing a few hundred Optimus units in 2026, scaling to thousands and then tens of thousands annually by 2027 and 2028, with internal targets of one million units per year from Shanghai that have not been confirmed in any public filing.

Elon Musk’s long-stated goal is pricing Optimus below $20,000 per unit, the same price point at which 1X is selling Early Access NEOs today.

China’s humanoid robotics sector is moving rapidly in parallel. Unitree’s G1 and H1 robots are commercially available at price points well below Tesla’s indicated targets. Agibot, UBTECH, Fourier Intelligence, and a growing roster of Chinese startups are all targeting the same market.

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China’s central and local governments have identified humanoid robots as a strategic technology, with subsidies and policy support that other regions have been slower to match. The competitive dynamic places 1X’s American-manufactured, vertically integrated approach against Chinese state-backed scale and Tesla’s automotive manufacturing infrastructure simultaneously.

Europe is also building. Neura Robotics, founded in Germany in 2019, has scaled to more than 600 employees and raised €120 million in January 2025. Founder David Reger has told TNW he sees Tesla as his only real competitor in the segment.

Europe’s humanoid robotics sector is positioning regulatory clarity, the AI Act, the updated Product Liability Directive, the General Product Safety Regulation, and the Machinery Regulation, as a competitive advantage, on the argument that investors and industrial partners commit resources where compliance risks are predictable.

The factory opening is the easy part. Manufacturing a humanoid robot at scale, while difficult, is fundamentally a known engineering problem with known suppliers and known cost curves. The harder question, the one no manufacturer has yet definitively answered, is whether a general-purpose home robot can perform the variety of unstructured tasks a private home demands at a level customers will pay $20,000 or $499 a month for. 

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1X’s answer to that question is, in part, to ship and iterate. Robots produced at the Hayward facility are currently being routed to internal testing, validation, and the company’s own R&D Lab and Internal Home Testing programmes before customer deliveries begin.

The vertically integrated manufacturing approach was chosen specifically to enable rapid hardware iteration as feedback comes in. If that iteration speed is fast enough to close the gap between the demonstrations on the launch reel and the messy reality of the average American home is, ultimately, the bet behind the entire factory.

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This retro gaming watch can track your heart rate and play Mega Man 2, as well

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If you grew up playing Mega Man 2 on the NES and the game holds a special place in your heart, this smartwatch is going to be right up your alley.

The Mega Man: My Play Watch is a collaboration between MyPlayWatch and Capcom, and it’s exactly what it sounds like: a smartwatch that lets you play a reimagined version of Mega Man 2 right on your wrist.

But how does it actually play?

The gameplay has been redesigned from the ground up for a touchscreen. Mega Man auto-runs through each stage while you tap to fire, time your jumps, and dodge hazards. It sounds simple, and that’s the point. 

You are not going to replicate the full NES experience on a 1.91-inch screen, and the developers know that. Instead, they have created something that captures the feel of the original game.

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There are three game modes to choose from. Classic Mode lets you pick Robot Master stages, defeat bosses, and eventually unlock Dr. Wily’s Castle. Arcade Mode cranks up the speed and difficulty as you chase high scores. Play Time Mode turns the watch into an animated Mega Man display, which honestly might be my favorite mode.

What else the Watch can do?

The watch is not just for playing games but also has built-in sensors that can track your steps, heart rate, and calories throughout the day, all wrapped in Mega Man-inspired visuals. The watch faces feature pixel art and animated characters, so it looks great even when you’re not playing.

The best part might be what it doesn’t do. There is no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi, no notifications, and no apps. It’s a focused, distraction-free device built purely for play and health tracking.

In a world where everything screams for your attention, that’s genuinely refreshing. The watch is available for pre-order now for $79.99 from GameStop‘s website.

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Belgium Plans To Nationalize Nuclear Power Plants

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Belgium plans to buy its seven aging nuclear reactors from French power giant Engie in a “full takeover” aimed at securing domestic energy supplies, extending reactor operations, and developing new nuclear capacity. “The move would also mean suspending plans to decommission nuclear operations in Belgium,” reports the BBC. From the report: The move would reverse the phase-out of nuclear energy legislation approved in the early 2000s amid safety concerns prohibiting the building of new nuclear power plants and limiting the operating lifetimes of existing ones to 40 years. Only two of Belgium’s seven nuclear reactors are operational – located at plants in Doel and in Tihange – and their operating licenses were recently extended until 2035. The other five reactors were shut between 2022 and 2025 and plans to dismantle them will now be suspended.

Engie and the government said they aim to reach an agreement on the takeover of the nuclear stations by October 1st. In a joint statement with Engie, the Belgian government said the move also highlights its aim to extend operations of existing nuclear reactors and to develop “new nuclear capacity” in Belgium. “By doing so, the Belgian Government is taking responsibility for Belgium’s long-term energy future, with the objective of building a financially and economically viable activity that supports security of supply, climate objectives, industrial resilience and socio-economic prosperity,” the statement adds.

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Apple posts ‘best March quarter’ with iPhone sales up 21.6pc

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Despite geopolitical instabilities, Apple managed a double-digit growth across all its geographic segments.

Apple posted its “best March quarter ever”, according to outgoing CEO Tim Cook, with a revenue of $111.2bn – up 17pc year on year. The company managed a 16pc revenue jump in its previous quarter, reporting a $143.8bn “record” revenue.

Despite geopolitical instabilities threatening the company’s supply chain, Apple, this quarter, managed a double-digit growth across all its geographic segments. Overall, net sales grew by around 16.6pc, with products and services showing 16.7pc and 16.2pc growth respectively.

“iPhone achieved a March quarter revenue record, fuelled by such extraordinary demand for the iPhone 17 lineup,” Cook said. New additions to its product line-up this quarter include the latest in its more affordable iPhone ‘e’ series, the new iPad Air powered by its in-house M4 chips, alongside the new MacBook Neo – which saw an overall positive reception from reviewers.

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iPhone sales grew 21.6pc quarter over quarter to nearly $60bn, while Mac grew 5.6pc and Apple services, including iCloud, App Store and Apple Pay, grew 16.2pc.

“Continued strong customer demand for our products and services once again helped us achieve a new all-time high for our installed base of active devices across all major product categories and geographic segments,” said Apple’s chief financial officer Kevan Parekh.

The quarter past generated more than $28bn in operating cash flow. Company shares rose 2.7pc in after-hours trading.

Earlier this month, Apple announced that Cook will be stepping down as CEO after 15 years in the role, handing his position to senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus. In the earnings call yesterday, Cook told investors that the transition “is the right one”.

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“Our roadmap is incredible,” he said. “And most importantly, we have the right leader ready to step into the role.

“There is no one on this planet I trust more to lead Apple into the future than John Ternus. John is a brilliant engineer, a deep thinker, a person of remarkable character, and a born leader.” Analysts believe Ternus’ background as a hardware engineer signals a potential for a regained focus into physical products.

“[Ternus] must resist the temptation of incrementalism that has plagued Apple of late and escape the iPhone’s gravitational pull in his quest for the next disruptive form factor,” commented Forrester VP principal analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee earlier this month. The company is still heavily reliant on the iPhone for growth.

Following the latest results, Chatterjee said that Apple’s latest performance is vindicatory, underscoring the company’s ability to sustain growth through product experience, even amid persistent criticism that it lags in AI.

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Apple is, however, making a step change towards that direction with reports that it is moving away from ChatGPT exclusivity for its Siri voice assistant in an attempt to bolster its AI offerings. It was also reported that the company is testing a new standalone app for Siri.

“Its strategy remains consistent – treating AI not as a standalone feature but as an embedded layer within the broader ecosystem that delivers exceptional customer experiences in the moments that matter,” Chatterjee continued.

“As Tim Cook prepares to hand over to John Ternus, the focus will shift from execution to vision. The question is not whether Apple can still grow. It is whether the company can escape the gravitational pull of its own success to reimagine a different future.”

Apple announced a new Dublin office in February set to house 300 workers. Meanwhile, the company’s Big Tech contemporaries Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet all posted positive results this quarter with massive AI spending plans in place for the year.

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Dublin’s Version 1 to acquire CreateFuture consultancy

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Version 1 said the merger would create a ‘combined organisation of 4,250 employees with annual revenues of more than €500m’.

Dublin technology consultancy services company Version 1 is to acquire UK technology services provider CreateFuture for an undisclosed amount.

Version 1 said the merger would create a “combined organisation of 4,250 employees with annual revenues of more than €500m” aiming to deliver “AI-driven digital transformation programmes at scale across complex, regulated environments in both public and private sectors”.

CreateFuture specialises in working as “a practitioner-led, AI-native partner to large enterprise clients” in highly regulated industries such as i-gaming – or online gambling – financial services and utilities, “where technical precision and regulatory compliance are critical”, according to Version 1.

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“This acquisition is a strong strategic fit for Version 1, strengthening our capabilities and expanding the markets we serve,” said Roop Singh, CEO of Version 1.

“CreateFuture is an exceptional business, with high‑calibre talent, deep client relationships and sector expertise that directly complements our own.”

CreateFuture currently employs around 550 in Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester and Sofia, Bulgaria. Its existing leadership team will remain in place following the acquisition.

“We started CreateFuture 16 years ago with a simple belief that the best work happens when great people are trusted to do great work for clients who care about the outcome,” said founder Euan Andrews.

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“That belief has not changed, and this partnership accelerates our ambition for CreateFuture with a highly culturally aligned partner in Version 1.”

In a LinkedIn post, the UK company said its “strengths in strategy, design and AI-native delivery” would complement Version 1’s “depth in data, transformation and managed service”.

Version 1 was founded in Dublin in 1996 and offers a range of technology services to global organisations. In March, it chose its new Dublin HQ to house a new, cutting-edge AI studio and also said it would add 250 roles locally.

Earlier that month at the UK-Ireland Summit, Version 1 said it would create 1,000 jobs across the UK, including Northern Ireland, as part of its plans for a £40m investment in that market.

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Verizon Promo Codes: $200 Verizon Gift Cards | May 2026

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Back in the day, Verizon proved their expansive reach with the spokesperson who asked “Can you hear me now?” With the spokesman pulling a Benedict Arnold and moving to T-Mobile, Verizon is now called the “Network America Relies On,” proven by their 4G LTE network covering 99% of the U.S. population, and 5G network expanding daily (though hovering around 13% now). We know how important it is to stay in communication, so we’ve rounded up the best ways to save money this month, with Verizon promo codes, free phone promotions, and holiday bundle deals.

45% Off Streaming Services With Verizon

If you’re looking to switch phone plans or carriers, now’s a great time to switch to Verizon. With more freedom than ever before, you can pick the plan that fits best for your needs, and get up to four lines for only $25 per line with an Unlimited Welcome plan. You’ll also have a guaranteed three-year locked price plan, and to top it off, you can also get 45% off top streaming services.

Save up to $1,100 With Top Verizon Coupons

Both new and existing customers have options to save with today’s lineup of 2026 deals. Better yet, some of the brand’s most impressive devices are eligible for up to $1,100 off, like the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, Samsung Galaxy S25+, Z Flip 7, S25 Ultra, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 10 have limited time deals too, at up to $800 off.

There’s more, you can get a free phone with any new plan, plus free overnight shipping so you can use your new toy ASAP. And if you happen to be switching to Verizon internet this winter, you’ll get a free Samsung 43” Class Q7F QLED (worth $400). Plus, you can get $90 off the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (read our review here) when you buy a Samsung device.

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Verizon Switch Offers: New Customers Can Get 4 Phones on Verizon and $25 Plans

Verizon just seems to be handing out phones at this point—you can get cutting edge smartphones including the iPhone 16 Pro Google Pixel 10, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy S25+ with AI for free—with no trade-in required. You’ll need to get a new line or upgrade your plan to qualify, but you’ll be saving $1,100 after credits over 3 years. And with new deals this month, you’ll get 4 iPhone 17, Pixel 10, or Galaxy S25 phones on Verizon, plus 4 lines for only $25 per line.

You can also get a Samsung Galaxy Watch8, Apple Watch SE3, or iPad for free when you sign up for an Unlimited Plan, and even without a trade-in, four iPhone 17 phones with a new myPlan line.

When you sign up for Unlimited, you can get 4 lines for as low as $25 per line on Unlimited Welcome when you sign up for Auto Pay. All plans include unlimited talk, text and data on Verizon’s 5G network, and now also include a 3 year price lock guarantee, so you can have peace of mind that your bill won’t get jacked up in the future.

Our Favorite Verizon Phones From $5 per Month

Apple’s iPhone 16 is available right now, and looking better than ever—it’s ready for Apple’s new AI rollout, a battery that’s easier to replace, and has a host of games. We put together a handy guide to which iPhone 16 or Galaxy you should buy, in case the various iPhone 16 models to choose from are a bit overwhelming, along with some great cases and accessories to keep your most-used device safe and stylish. If you’ve been eyeing an iPhone 16 Pro, Verizon is offering a great deal where you can get the phone for as little as $5 per month—or it’s free when you add a new line. Stay tuned here for updates, because most Verizon promo codes are for new customers.

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We at WIRED review and write about the newest line of Samsung products as well, and have created a guide to help you decide which Samsung Galaxy S24 model you should buy and some of our favorite Samsung Galaxy S24 accessories to upgrade your device. Like competitors, Samsung has worked to continuously integrate AI to make the phone even smarter, helping test for Google’s Gemini.

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Bang & Olufsen Beosound Haven Outdoor Speaker Debuts with Antolini at Milan Design Week 2026

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Milan Design Week 2026 is wrapping up, and while most people came for furniture and lighting, high-end audio didn’t stay quiet. After Klipsch and OJAS teased their kO-R2 collaboration for indoor spaces, Bang & Olufsen showed up with something far more ambitious for the outdoors: the Beosound Haven, developed with Italian stone specialist Antolini.

That matters, because the custom install category isn’t what it used to be. Outdoor audio has gone from weatherproof boxes you tolerated to fully engineered systems you actually want to listen to. Brands like Theory Audio DesignDALI, Sonus faber, Focal, and Monitor Audio have raised the bar with serious build quality, proper environmental protection, and performance that doesn’t collapse the second you step outside.

So Beosound Haven isn’t walking into an empty garden. It’s stepping into a category where expectations are finally high and where design alone won’t save you. Bang & Olufsen knows how to win a room indoors. Outdoors, the rules are different.

beosound-haven-outdoor-speaker-gardgen

Rooted in craftsmanship but clearly aimed at a very specific clientele, the partnership between Bang & Olufsen and Antolini leans into the idea that outdoor audio doesn’t have to look like outdoor audio. The Beosound Haven blends B&O’s acoustic engineering with Antolini’s stonework to create something that’s meant to disappear into the landscape visually while still delivering a controlled, high-end listening experience. It’s not just about sound — it’s about how that sound lives in the space.

To drive that point home, the companies built a full outdoor installation at Milan Design Week rather than sticking the speaker on a pedestal and hoping for the best. The exhibit framed Beosound Haven as part of a complete environment—integrated into stone, greenery, and architectural elements to show how landscape design, materials, and audio can work together instead of competing for attention. The goal is clear: move outdoor audio beyond background noise and into something that actually contributes to how a space looks, feels, and more importantly sounds.

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beosound-haven-outdoor-speaker-mounted

Design at Bang & Olufsen has always been about understanding the relationship between technology, materials, and the spaces people inhabit. With this installation, that philosophy extends beyond the traditional room, exploring how beautiful sound can engage the senses and transform outdoor environments into immersive, sensorial spaces,said Kresten Bjørn Krab-Bjerre, Senior Director of Design, and continues: “Through Beosound Haven – our forthcoming landscape speaker – we explore sound as an architectural language. It interacts with materials and forms an atmosphere, creating a refined sense of place that is both subtle and powerful. It reflects our ambition to find new ways for sound to enrich the experience – not only as something you hear, but as something you truly feel.

beosound-haven-front

The Besound Haven Preview Experience

Set inside the Antolini Milano Duomo Stoneroom, the Beosound Haven wasn’t just dropped into a corner and labeled “outdoor speaker.” Bang & Olufsen and Antolini built a controlled environment to show how it’s meant to be used. The installation leaned on natural elements like greenery, stone, and a central reflective water table where droplets created subtle ripples, tying the visual design back to the idea of sound moving through space. Surfaces featured Antolini’s Taj Mahal quartzite in a matte finish, keeping reflections low and letting texture and light do the work without distracting from the audio.

At the center is a simple concept: treat sound as part of the architecture, not an afterthought. Beosound Haven combines B&O’s aluminum driver and electronics housing with Antolini’s stonework, designed to be specified early in a project instead of bolted on later. That’s the real pitch here. Integrate the system from day one so it works with the space instead of fighting it.

It also lines up with Antolini’s broader push beyond interiors. They built their reputation on high end stone applications indoors, and this is a logical move into outdoor environments where materials, durability, and placement matter just as much as aesthetics.

In collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, we have moved beyond traditional design to embrace the open air. By blending the raw elegance of natural stone with precision sound, we’ve created a bridge between nature and technology. These landscape speakers are not just objects; they are a dialogue between the elements, transforming gardens and terraces into living galleries where history and avant-garde meet to host your most meaningful moments,” remarks Carlo Alberto Antolini, Owner of Antolini.

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Bang & Olufsen Atelier Program Contribution

Through Bang & Olufsen’s Atelier program, aluminum, the company’s core material, has been shaped into Beosound Haven’s spherical form and paired directly with stone from Antolini. Antolini, a family owned Italian company with roughly 70 years of experience working with marble and natural stone, brings a level of material expertise that aligns with B&O’s approach to industrial design and speaker construction.

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A range of natural stones are used across the collaboration, selected for their variation in pattern, density, and surface texture. The idea is straightforward: treat stone as a primary material in the system, not just a decorative shell around it.

The end result is less about making a statement piece and more about showing how materials and audio hardware can be integrated from the start. The stone surfaces frame the installation and influence how the speaker is perceived in the space, both visually and acoustically, without trying to overwhelm either side of the equation.

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Pro Tip: Final details for Beosound Haven, including full specifications and release timing, have not been announced yet.

Beolab 18 Refresh

beolab-18-refresh

In addition to Beosound Haven, Bang & Olufsen and Antolini have also revisited the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 18, a floorstanding speaker that originally launched in 2013. The update focuses on materials rather than acoustics, with new natural stone finishes in a matte treatment, including Amazonite, Retro Black Petrified Wood, Patagonia Original, Dalmata, Cipollino GreyWave, and Taj Mahal.

This is being positioned as a limited edition series, with each unit reflecting the natural variation of the stone used. The goal is consistent with the Haven concept, extending the use of architectural materials into both interior and outdoor settings without changing the core speaker platform.

Pro Tip: Pricing and availability for the Beolab 18 Bang & Olufsen and Antolini editions have not been announced yet. For full features and specifications, refer to the official Bang & Olufsen Beolab 18 product page.

The Bottom Line 

Since 1925, Bang & Olufsen has built its reputation on design led audio that looks as expensive as it sounds. But outdoors is a different fight. Aside from the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Bollard, the brand has not been a major player in landscape audio, where durability, coverage, and system integration matter just as much as aesthetics.

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Beosound Haven is unique because it is not trying to compete as a traditional outdoor speaker. It is positioned as part of the architecture itself, developed alongside Antolini and intended to be specified early in a project, not added later. That puts it in a different category than most outdoor systems, which are still designed around concealment or basic weather resistance rather than material integration.

Who is this for? Not someone looking to upgrade a patio with a few speakers and call it a day. This is aimed at high end residential projects, landscape architects, and custom integrators working on properties where materials, layout, and audio are planned together from the start. The unknowns still matter. Final design options, system configuration, and pricing have not been confirmed, but none of this is likely to come cheap. If it delivers on performance to match the design, it could push expectations higher in a category that has already started to take itself more seriously.

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Sources: Anthropic potential $900B+ valuation round could happen within 2 weeks

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Anthropic is asking investors to submit allocations for the AI company’s latest fundraise within the next 48 hours, according to sources familiar with the matter. The round, which TechCrunch reported is expected to be roughly $50 billion, is estimated to close within two weeks, the sources said.

As we previously reported, Anthropic is targeting a valuation of about $900 billion. However, given the soaring demand from investors seeking a stake in the company, the final valuation may well exceed that figure, our sources said.

Anthropic declined to comment.

Despite the intense demand, some early backers — particularly those who invested in 2024 or earlier — are skipping this round. Instead, these investors are waiting to potentially cash out during Anthropic’s anticipated IPO later this year.

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The company is raising what is likely to be its last private round before going public to fund its massive computing needs.

Anthropic announced this month that its annual revenue run rate has surpassed $30 billion. But as we previously reported, the company’s run rate is currently closer to $40 billion, according to sources with knowledge of the company’s financials.

Anthropic raised its last round in February at a $380 billion valuation. At $900 billion, the company would not only more than double its valuation but would also surpass its chief rival, OpenAI, which closed a record-breaking $122 billion round at an $852 billion post-money valuation earlier this year.

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Jagmeet Singh contributed reporting.

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Is It A Pet? No, It’s A Teacher’s Pet!

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Here at Hackaday we cover the world of retrocomputing, which means that we see all manner of older computers in our everyday work. We might even claim that we’ve seen them all, were it not that every now and then something comes along which surprises us. [Tynemouth Software] has done just that, with an unexpected Commodore. It’s a Commodore 4064, something that was new to us, but which is best described as a Commodore 64 in a PET case. He’s bringing this one back to life.

For those with weak early-Commodore-fu, maybe it’s worth a quick recap. The PET was Commodore’s big hit from the early 1980s, and it took the form of an all-in-one machine with a CRT display built in. They packed a 6502, BASIC, blocky monochrome graphics, and unexpectedly an IEE-488, or GPIB port. Meanwhile the 64 was the company’s smash hit early 1980s home computer in a compact console design, with high-res color graphics for the time on your TV, and a synthesizer chip that’s still legendary in 2026. Combining a 64 mainboard with the super-robust PET case appears to have been part of Commodore’s business and education offerings.

This one appears to have been in the damp, because that board is definitely more than a bit grubby. After a lot of debugging its power and video circuits, including an unexpected sync splitter board to drive the non-composite monitor, he narrows down the problem to a dodgy ROM and some memory errors.

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It seems there’s some question in Commodore enthusiast circles as to whether these machines were assembled from surplus PET parts, but he puts that one to bed by pointing out the custom metalwork and the few custom Commodore 64 features on the board. All in all it’s an interesting dive into an unusual 8-bit machine.

We’ve seen [Tynemouth] a few times here, perhaps most notably with their modern take on a ZX80.

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